Linguagen Corp's goal is to identify, develop and market safe and effective bitter taste inhibitors. Recently adenosine 5' monophosphate (AMP) has been shown to block activation of the gustducin-dependent bitter taste pathway (1). The purpose of this Phase I SBIR proposal is to explore the potential of AMP as a inhibitor of the bitter taste of oral pharmaceuticals. The specific aims of this proposal are: to evaluate the efficacy of AMP as a bitter taste blocker in an animal model, and to identify which currently used oral pharmaceuticals would be targets for AMP's inhibitory action. A blocker of pharmaceuticals bitter taste could lead to more palatable medicines, which would increase patient compliance. Furthermore, tablets and capsules that can be difficult to swallow for children and the elderly could be reformulated into more easily administered solutions. The potential technological innovation from this proposed SBIR would be a greater understanding of the structure-function relationships of bitter taste inhibition. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: The proposed commercial applications are to develop important oral pharmaceutical drugs to enhance compliance and efficacy.